Bad: Boy killed with AirGun (UK)

This is a discussion on Bad: Boy killed with AirGun (UK) within the In the News: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly forums, part of the The Back Porch category; These stories are always so tragic.... Read the comments below (in the link) , just shows you how some people think in the UK
Boy, ...

I can't follow many links at work, would it be possible for someone to post the article? It will also not give a poorly written article the illusion of being popular from all the hits it will receive here.

Mother's grief as son, 5, is shot dead with air rifle at country home of family frien

As featured at the Daily Mail (UK):

'Our bundle of joy': Mother's grief as son, 5, is shot dead with air rifle at country home of family friend

By Ryan Kisiel
Last updated at 8:54 AM on 26th August 2009

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A boy of five has died after he was accidentally shot in the head with an air rifle.

Jonathan Cooke was playing with four other children in the grounds of a large house in the country when the tragedy happened.

Tragedy: Jonathan Cooke, 5, pictured here in an undated family photo, has been killed in an air gun accident

Neighbours said there was shot and later they heard shouts of 'what have you done?' coming from the two-acre garden.

Paramedics were called to the detached house in the Wiltshire village of Fovant to try to revive Jonathan, who was known as Joe.

He was airlifted to the specialist head injury unit at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol but was pronounced dead soon after arriving there. Police are not treating the death as suspicious.

Neighbours say that Jonathan, who is from Ealing, West London, was having a short holiday in Fovant.

He was staying at Bernard and Pamela Allnutt's home with his mother and two older brothers.

The Allnutts' daughter Claire Blackmore, 43, and her husband Brent, 52, arrived on Friday with their children Ben, nine, and Jack, 12, for a long weekend.

They were joined on Sunday by Jonathan's family with whom they are friends. The accident happened around noon on Monday.

Last night, Jonathan's mother Emma, 43, paid tribute to him.

She said: 'Joe was a gorgeous, cheeky, beautiful, bright little bundle of joy who lit up the room - our little Indiana Jones. He died in a tragic accident and we love him to infinity and beyond.

'His death will leave a huge hole in our lives. He will be missed by anyone who knew him, as he touched so many lives.

'We would now request privacy at this difficult time so we can remember our lovely little boy in peace.' A neighbour said Mr Allnutt kept an air rifle which he used to shoot squirrels 'because they can be a nuisance in the area'.

Speaking at his home yesterday, Mr Allnutt, 75, said : 'It was a terrible accident. He was a very nice boy from a very nice family.'

Neighbour Janet Longden said: 'Bernard's daughter Clare came down with her husband and their two children on Friday evening or Saturday morning and were planning on having a long weekend.

'They were joined on Sunday evening by three friends and their mother, who were due to stay for a day or two. Bernard seems overwhelmed by the whole tragedy.'

Music student Joe Watkinson, 19, who lives nearby, said he heard shouting minutes before the air ambulance landed in the garden of the house. He said: 'I was in the garden and heard an adult in the garden where it happened shouting, "What have you done?'' '

Graham Korper, who lives opposite, said: 'It's a terrible tragedy. Wiltshire police spokesman Steve Coxhead said: 'We are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding his death but we are not treating it as suspicious.

'A report will be prepared for the coroner for Swindon and Wiltshire and we are offering support to the family who have our deepest sympathy. It would seem this is one of life's tragedies.'

Fovant is known as a tourist attraction for its collection of giant army regimental badges, which were carved into the chalk downs by soldiers camped in the area during the First World War.

A website for the village says it is a 'traditional community where the daily life of everyone is the subject of much interest by all'.

The death follows other air rifle shootings during the school holidays.

A five-year-old girl was shot in the head last week while she played near her home in Workington, Cumbria, but she was not seriously injured.

A 16-year-old boy was shot with an air rifle from behind, leaving the pellet lodged close to his kidney in Nottingham last week. He is now recovering.

I can see why my dad wouldn't let me have a pellet gun growing up. I had a 22, but pellet guns are considered toys and he figured it was too dangerous because of the lack of respect for the damage they can cause.

Can you imagine the media storm if this had happened with a "real gun?" I speculate it would be bad, and purely about gun control instead. Not that this author would have written the story any better.

As stated by others, very poorly written article, almost no information. Thanks for posting it for me though!

I can see why my dad wouldn't let me have a pellet gun growing up. I had a 22, but pellet guns are considered toys and he figured it was too dangerous because of the lack of respect for the damage they can cause.

Can you imagine the media storm if this had happened with a "real gun?" I speculate it would be bad, and purely about gun control instead. Not that this author would have written the story any better.

As stated by others, very poorly written article, almost no information. Thanks for posting it for me though!

Real gun in the UK on private property, in the hands of a commoner, are you serious, LOL

When I watch an airgun in the Gamo ads drop a Javalin...I begin to realize how far technology has come since my Daisy Red Rider. Tragic story, made more tragic by the anti-gun bias. Prayers for those involved.

We never want to give the impression that small calibers, or even air guns, are not capable of lethal force. All firearms and airguns should be handled with care and gun safety must be taught on all levels.

That is why you ALWAYS TREAT EVERY GUN AS IF IT IS LOADED AND FOLLOW ALL SAFETY RULES! Whether it's a little $10 air soft from Wal Mart, or an AK-47. And everything else in between. I don't care who you are, complacency leads to poor safety. Poor safety leads to accidents, and accidents can kill. Period.

Comparing a Model T to a Z06 most nobody would do because they have nothing similar at all aside from running on petrol and having four tractive wheels as well as a fifth toward directional control. Even those three items are completely different yesterday to today.
On the whole you might as well be comparing the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk short range flying chair to that of a modern F-35 or Boeing 787.

Parents and kids now days need to know and _understand_ this as fact of modern day times pneumatic/air gun deisgn and use/application.

Even the pellets available these days are different than 'in the old days' as being actually engineered and designed for maximum ballistic efficiency along with energy transfer as on target...just like modern day ammunition projectile design.

When I teach BHE courses and cover the firearm safety component I'm very sure to state and emphasize that modern airguns are not toys as many were back in the day. They are pneumatic arms and should be treated exactly the same as any other projectile firing arm be it a handgun, rifle, or even shotgun which they also do now make as in pneumatic/air powered function for purpose of taking varmint game.